Kiama’s Joyce Wheatley Centre will soon host a unique five-week program that blends art, nature, and wellbeing - offering locals a chance to reconnect with creativity, community and the calming power of the natural world.

Art and Wellbeing in Nature is a series of plain-air workshops designed to promote mental health, social connection and creative expression through nature-inspired art-making. 

Running each Friday morning from 10am to 12pm, starting 3 October and continuing through until the end of the month, the workshops will be led by award-winning artist, illustrator and art therapist Sally Ann Conwell.

Participants will be guided through a series of hands-on art activities outdoors, with the beautiful Kiama surrounds as both inspiration and setting. 

The sessions will explore how creating art in nature can help build resilience, foster mindfulness, and bring people together in shared creative experience.

“This program is about more than just making art,” said Conwell. “It’s about slowing down, connecting to the environment around us, and rediscovering the joy of creating - together.

“Nature has an incredible ability to ground us, and art helps us express what we often can’t put into words.”

The artworks created throughout the program will be transformed into large-scale decals, which will be installed on public bin enclosures around the community - turning everyday public spaces into canvases for local expression and shared stories.

Workshops are sold out, but if you are interested you can apply to be on the waitlist here: https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1461181.